By Dr. Amelia Fratnik, B.Sc., D.C., ART
Now that the great summer weather is here, it’s time to get outside for some fresh air and a walk! Did you know that 70% of individuals will have a recurrence of low back pain within 12 months of an episode? (1) For those of you who have experienced low back pain, you may recall the fear of doing too much or the fear of movement. Once better, you may have felt like you could do anything or you chose to scale right back. Well, there is a study which followed a group of individuals for 12 months, tracking their progress in a 6 month walking program, building up to a 30 minute walk on average, 5 times per week. The individuals were also provided education, assessments, and were permitted to exercise and to seek adjunctive manual therapy, like chiropractic treatments.
The take home message from this study was: Don’t be part of the 70% of recurrent back pain sufferers. Get out there and walk to prevent low back pain! Walking only requires the cost of a good pair of shoes and the commitment to do so. Think prevention and the other health benefits of walking. So what are you waiting for? (Maybe the rain to stop……?!!!) Enjoy your summer!
[this study can be found in Lancet 2024 Jun 19: S0140-6736(24)00755-4. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00755-4.]da Silva T, Mills K, Brown BT, et al. Recurrence of low back pain is common: a prospective inception cohort study. J Physiother 2019;